The subject of this patent application relates generally to a method of selecting data, and more particularly to methods for allowing an at least one unauthorized user to access select data contained in an at least one secure database while maintaining the privacy of an at least one subject to which the data relates.
Applicant(s) hereby incorporate herein by reference any and all patents and published patent applications cited or referred to in this application.
By way of background, computers are now widely used in a variety of different applications. One particular application relates to the storage of data relating to individuals (sometimes referred to as data subjects) so as to allow that data to be readily available and easily processed. In some cases data relating to large numbers of individuals is stored in a centralized database.
While the storage of data relating to individuals provides benefits both for organizations using that data, the individuals themselves and society at large, there are dangers inherent in centralized storage of large quantities of personal data. For example, many individuals are concerned that their personal data will become known to unauthorized persons who may use the data for illegitimate purposes.
Given the widespread benefits of centralized storage in a variety of fields of activity, considerable effort has been put into securing data so as to ensure that data can only be accessed by authorized users in a controlled manner.
While controlling access to data is important, many currently employed schemes lack flexibility and control access in such a way that users who are not authorized are provided with no access to the stored data. Such an arrangement can cause inefficiencies in that some users who are not authorized to access all of the data, have legitimate cause to access parts of the data, and restrictions preventing all access therefore deprive such users of the benefits of centralized data storage.
Clinical trials may be conducted for a number of purposes, for example to further research into particular treatments for diseases. In many countries, medical researchers are required to conduct clinical trials in order to ascertain and document the safety and efficacy of new medical treatments or devices before those new medical treatments or devices can be authorized for use within that country. Before a clinical trial can begin, a number of steps are often necessary, including a feasibility assessment to determine whether there are enough potential participants to conduct the clinical trial, and subsequently, recruitment of participants.
Individuals determining clinical trial feasibility often do not have access to centralized medical records databases because they are not authorized to access the sensitive personal information contained within such databases. As such, clinical trial feasibility is often assessed on an unstructured basis, by asking clinical staff, such as doctors, for estimates of how many patients with particular characteristics they might expect to see in a given time period. Based on the clinicians' responses, a researcher can estimate, for each clinician willing to involve their patients in a clinical trial, how many eligible patients that clinician is likely to see over the course of the trial. With short deadlines inaccurate estimation of the number of potential eligible participants is common.
Clinical teams may be involved with a number of concurrent clinical trials, each with a different procedure for seeking informed consent during recruitment. The process of recruitment is therefore often laborious and unstructured. There is therefore a need for more efficient clinical trial feasibility assessment and recruitment processes.
Aspects of the present invention fulfill these needs and provide further related advantages as described in the following summary.